The message “This information can only be shared within your organization’s Google Workspace apps” appears when your Google Workspace admin has restricted external sharing, so files or folders can only be shared with people inside your company’s domain (e.g., @yourcompany.com) and not with external users.
Why this message appears
Google Workspace administrators can lock down sharing so that:
- Files and folders in Google Drive can only be shared with users in your organization (same domain).
- External sharing (with people outside your domain) is turned off entirely, or limited to specific allowed domains.
- Certain sensitive folders or Shared Drives are set to “internal only” and cannot be shared with external accounts.
When those settings are in place, trying to share a file with someone outside your domain (like a client, partner, or personal Gmail) will show this error.
What users can do
If you see this error, you usually cannot fix it yourself; it must be changed by a Google Workspace admin.
- Check with your admin
Ask your Google Workspace administrator to review the Drive sharing settings for your organizational unit.
They need to allow external sharing (or sharing with specific domains) in the Google Admin console under Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs > Sharing settings.
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Temporary workaround
If external sharing is blocked, you can:- Download the file and send it as an email attachment (if allowed by company policy).
* Use a secure file transfer service approved by your IT team.
* Ask the admin to temporarily add the external person as a guest user (if your Workspace plan supports it).
What admins need to change
An admin can adjust these settings in the Google Admin console:
- Go to Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs > Sharing settings.
- Under Sharing outside of your organization , choose:
- On – Allows sharing with external users (anyone with a Google Account or email).
* **Off** – Blocks external sharing; only internal users can access files.
- Optionally, restrict sharing to only certain domains (allowlist) or disable link sharing to the public.
They can also set different sharing rules for specific organizational units or Shared Drives, so some folders remain internal-only while others can be shared externally.